IN A DEFENSIVE SLUGFEST, SLATON OUTLASTS MUSTANGS FOR KEY DISTRICT WIN

What a game this was! Slaton, who came into this game ranked 18th in 3A while Shallowater was ranked fifth, and as always, has big expectations for the season due to multiple Regional Final appearances in the last four years. But this season it seems like we may have to make some room for the Slaton Tigers as they are winning big games and playing exceptionally well so far.

Slaton’s Daniel Payne with a pull-up jumper against the Shallowater Mustangs- Jasone Pearson

In a game that lived up to the hype, Slaton pulled out a 58-55 win over the Mustangs with a key and-one layup from Matthew Perez with less than five seconds to go in the fourth quarter. And on the ensuing play in the last seconds, Daniel Payne stripped Logan Winn and converted a free throw to seal the game for the Tigers.

Shallowater’s Logan Winn on the attack- Jasone Pearson

Some observations I had from watching the game:

Payne and Perez were lethal on the screen-and-roll for the Tigers.
Logan Winn can shoot it for the Mustangs, along with Gavin Coleman; who has some great range for a Forward!
Jacob Lopez continues to lead for the Tigers as he led all scorers on the Tigers with 18 points
The next game will be another great matchup and defense will determine the winner in Shallowater

Logan Winn had 18 points for Shallowater and really came alive in the second half for the Mustangs in a hard-fought effort in a very tough environment! Lastly, my MVP was Slaton’s Daniel Payne as he made multiple big plays on offense and took two consecutive charges in the fourth quarter to help thwart the Mustangs’ comeback attempt late: TEAM BALL.